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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26588260">The Curious Case of Toudou Heisuke</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cricketbone/pseuds/softagenda'>softagenda (cricketbone)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hakuouki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Ochimizu | Water of Life (Hakuouki), Doctor's Apprentice Chizuru, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Misunderstandings, no demons</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:07:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26588260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cricketbone/pseuds/softagenda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinpachi grumbled under his breath before he straightened, frowning. “How often did you say he’s been coming?”</p><p>Sanosuke glanced around the street and leaned closer. “Three times a week.”</p><p>His brother cursed under his breath.</p><p>(when Heisuke starts acting strangely, brothers-in-arms Sano and Shinpachi must get to the bottom of this mystery.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harada Sanosuke &amp; Nagakura Shinpachi (Hakuouki), Harada Sanosuke &amp; Toudou Heisuke (Hakuouki), Toudou Heisuke &amp; Nagakura Shinpachi, Toudou Heisuke/Yukimura Chizuru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Curious Case of Toudou Heisuke</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, how far are we willing to take this, Sano? Gonna practice a little one-armed negotiation?” Shinpachi rolled his shoulder, his face set in a tight grimace. “Never thought I’d need to strong arm a doctor before, but there’s a first for everything.”</p><p>“We’re not gonna rough up Dr. Matsumoto,” sighed Sanosuke, digging his elbow into Shinpachi’s side. “He’s not the kind of man who could be intimidated by that, at any rate.”</p><p>The front of the clinic reflected its proprietor as keenly as a mirror. The entryway was kept briskly neat and swept clean until the packed ground could be kicked with the tip of a sandal without fear of dust gritting between the toes. There wasn’t a scratch or hole in the cloth panels, nor a splinter jutting away from the frames. The awning above the door was simple and to the point but distantly welcoming in the color of summer grass:<em> Mastumoto Clinic</em>. Much like the man himself: professional, stern, but not unkind.</p><p>“Well, I figured,” growled Shinpachi, rubbing his side. “But for Heisuke, I bet I could get the man to talk. Give’m the ol’ sword to the stones trick, huh?”</p><p>“Lay off it, Shin.”</p><p>Sanosuke would have liked to see Shinpachi try, on a normal day. He could almost see the altercation in his mind’s eye: Dr. Matsumoto with his forbidding frown and steely gray eyes, peering down the flat of the blade without an inch of hesitation. It was the kind of match-up he’d have paid to see in his youth, when he had more scars than he did coins to eat. But they were here for far more serious a reason than he would have liked, and the answer would be worth more than the novelty of watching Shinpachi be rolled into a dumpling by a doctor twice his age.</p><p>Shinpachi grumbled under his breath before he straightened, frowning. “How often did you say he’s been coming?”</p><p>Sanosuke glanced around the street and leaned closer. “Three times a week.”</p><p>His brother cursed under his breath.</p>
<hr/><p>Sanosuke had noticed it more than a month ago.</p><p>The first time, he had dismissed it.</p><p>After patrolling from sunrise to the early beginnings of sunset, as the sun swept the rooftops and streets in golden red light, Shinpachi had wrapped his arms around their necks and offered with his usual good cheer, “Finally! Now that we’re off, let’s head to Shimabara, eh? Sano? Heisuke?”</p><p>Warmed by the thought of a strong drink, Sano said, “Sure, let’s go.”</p><p>“Yes! First round is on you, Sano! Don’t think I forgot about last time, when you said you would tell us that story again,” he crowed, his chin bumping Sano’s shoulder and leaving a trail of sweat. “About the ox and that broken yoke--”</p><p>“Ah…”</p><p>They pulled to a halt at the unusual sound of hesitation and turned around.</p><p>Heisuke was rubbing the back of his neck, lingering several feet behind. He pointed to a nearby alley heading east, one that Sano knew would take him halfway to the Shinsengumi headquarters. “I’m actually going to pass, guys.”</p><p>“Eh?” whined Shinpachi, a pout already in danger of forming on his face. “Why not? Heisuke, come on, come drink with us.”</p><p>“Not tonight, Shin. Sorry.” He fidgeted, his sandal scuffing the ground, before he added with a smile. “Next time!”</p><p>“Are you all right, Heisuke?” Sano paused, tipping his spear back on his shoulder as he watched his younger brother. “You didn’t get injured chasing that thief, did you?”</p><p>“As if I’d let that happen,” shot back Heisuke, grinning smugly, before he shrugged. “I’m fine. I’d just rather get some actual sleep tonight rather than wake up at noon slumped over the pond outside the kitchen.”</p><p>Shinpachi squawked. “That happened one time!” At Heisuke’s and Sano’s smirks, he admitted, “Twice! Just twice!”</p><p>“Well, if that’s how it is,” Sano said over the other man’s protests, “I guess I’ll be on my own dragging his ass back.”</p><p>“Good luck with that!” Heisuke snickered before starting down the alley with a grin, his hands lazily stretching behind his head.</p><p>Sano had watched him turn the corner before wrapping an arm around an indignant Shinpachi. “Now, where should we start? The Red Phoenix?”</p><p>He’d smiled as Shinpachi’s spirits had immediately lifted, voice loud and boisterous as he led Sano and a few other men down the street, and hadn’t given a single thought to the event until several nights later, when Heisuke had started ducking out of their drinking nights with growing frequency, citing exhaustion or boredom or training amongst the range of excuses.</p><p>The fourth time, Sanosuke had actually pulled Heisuke aside.</p><p>“Hey, is there something else going on?” He’d asked in low tones, his hand bracing and supportive on Heisuke’s neck. “If there’s a problem with one of the men or Shinpachi, tell me. I’ll help work this out.”</p><p>Hesiuke had brushed him off with a laughing “What are you talking about, Sano?” his hand rubbing the back of his neck, before he’d abruptly changed his mind and tagged along that night.</p><p>Sano had kept an eye on him, but Heisuke had seemed in his usual good spirits. When they left late into the night, his younger brother had kept close to the middle of the group, his arms wrapped around the others. If he’d seemed slightly less rowdy than usual, Sano didn’t pay it any more mind than that.</p><p>Then Heisuke had started leaving the compounds at strange times.</p><p>Saito had made the passing comment at dinner one night that he’d seen Heisuke leave shortly after the morning’s meal. Heisuke notably had scarfed down his portion before sprinting back out to train in the yard.</p><p>“Hmm?” Sanosuke  frowned. “He didn't have patrol this morning, though.”</p><p>Saito gave a brief nod to confirm the observation, his dark eyes inscrutable as always.</p><p>“Did he seem like he was running an errand or something?”</p><p>“I’m unaware of any request.”</p><p>“Well, maybe he had to go to the market,” interjected Shinpachi, drowsily lifting a spoonful of rice into his mouth and shrugging.</p><p>Sano hummed thoughtfully. He returned to his meal and ate slowly, his mind pulling together the memories of a strange pattern of behavior. After a moment, he turned to Shinpachi. “Hey, don’t you think Heisuke’s been acting unusual lately?”</p><p>“Hah?”</p><p>Across the table, Souji tipped his tea back, watching them with a sharp, curious gaze. He smiled innocently when Sanosuke raised a brow at him, before turning his head to the side and engaging Saito in a one-sided argument about his recent training regimen.</p><p>He lowered his voice. “Skipping out on us at night, running off on his own. Strange, right?”</p><p>“Come on, Sano,” groaned Shinpachi, waving a hand. “Don’t you think you’re mothering him? What’s wrong with any of that? He’s a man. Let him do what he wants. He’d better be saving up his money for the next time he joins, because it’ll be his treat.”</p><p>Sanosuke shot him a look before he settled back into his seat. Perhaps he was making more of this than he should be. Everyone needed a change of pace eventually, even someone as committed to his brothers and his mission as Heisuke. It wasn’t unreasonable to assume that he wanted time on his own either - solitude came at a premium in the Shinsengumi.</p><p><em>And it wasn’t as though Heisuke seemed upset or depressed</em>, he reminded himself, thinking back to the laughter they’d shared over the dinner table, the grins he’d dropped as easy as rain whenever they’d convinced him into a room in Shimabara. In fact, his younger brother had seemed happier than ever, judging by the small smile he’d worn throughout their patrols, the eager way his eyes flickered through the crowd.</p><p>So Sanosuke had forced himself to take a step back.</p><p>Two weeks passed, with the same pattern. Heisuke a now rare companion for sake, ducking out early in the morning, skirting around any questions about where he was going. It left a bittersweet taste in Sanosuke’s mouth, the idea that their youngest brother needed time apart. He’d done his best to swallow it down though and kept himself preoccupied by an increasingly agitated Shinpachi who had moved on from begrudging sympathy to frustration.</p><p>“What the hell is keeping him?” He’d groused one morning, their squadrons patrolling through the market. “I mean, is it the restaurant? Should we go somewhere new? <em>Yumiko</em>’s has pretty good nabe. You think Heisuke would want to come?”</p><p>“I don’t think the problem has anything to do with the food at <em>Pleasure Palace</em>. One doesn’t pay patronage to that establishment for the quality of the cooking,” Sanosuke said wryly.</p><p>“Then why?” Shinpachi pulled him to a stop, his face belligerent. “It’s me, isn’t it. What’d I do, Sano? I’ll make up for it, whatever it was. Was it the comment about his height? Surely he knows I was just riling him - ah, but he does get weirdly sensitive about that, even after all this time.”</p><p>“Shinpachi, calm down.”</p><p>“How am I supposed to calm down, Sano?” A growling yell built in his throat. He tugged his headband off to wipe the sweat from his brown in hurried strokes. “I admit, I thought you were being stupid about it - I mean, Heisuke’s got his own shit to do, we’re not his parents or something - but it’s been three weeks!” The bluster fizzled out like a snuffed candle. “He’s avoided the past five times I’ve asked. Not sure my heart or my wallet can take this for much longer.”</p><p>“Nice to know where your priorities are.” But Sanosuke had to admit that he was tired of beating around the bush with Heisuke. It was time to sit him down and have a talk, man to man. If he needed space, that was fine - at the very least, Sanosuke felt he owed it to them to be honest about any other issues that had come between them. They were friends and comrades, but more than that - they were brothers. They could overcome anything that might cause a rift, as long as they valued that bond.</p><p>He opened his mouth to say that, when he froze.</p><p>A familiar trail of brown hair was ducking out of the building in front of them, whipping around as he waved to someone out of sight. Heisuke walked backward onto the street for a moment, a parcel under his arm, before he skipped through the crowd with a light step.</p><p>Sanosuke started to call him back when he caught sight of the sign above the store.</p>
<hr/><p>Another two weeks had passed, these both more productive and more troubling than the previous.</p><p>Heisuke seemed to visit the local physician, Dr. Matsumoto, every few days.</p><p>On days where he patrolled the evening shift, he would wake early, get dressed, and be out on the street before the rest of the men had managed to roll out of their futons. That on its own had been suspicious to Sano - Heisuke was a notoriously deep sleeper.</p><p>Surveillance had revealed that Heisuke would often visit another local store, an herbalist, before heading to Dr. Mastumoto’s, his purchase wrapped up and tucked into the front of his shirt. He would spend a couple wicks of a candle there before leaving in time to catch a light meal before his patrol.</p><p>After insistent requests from an excited Shinpachi, the herbalist had told them the contents of the package: ginseng, wolfberries, other herbs often used in decoctions and medicines. She had refused to say definitively whether these were meant for a particular treatment, only that they were often used in a variety of remedies for lung or liver related maladies. The information had done little to assuage their minds.</p><p>As a last ditch attempt for another explanation, Sanosuke had finally tracked down Yamazaki in the compound after the spy had been away on a mission.</p><p>“Yamazaki, sorry to stop you before you rest,” he panted, having sprinted toward the rooms the moment he had heard from Hijikata of his return. “There’s something I have to ask. It’s important.”</p><p>Yamazaki had considered him before letting him inside the room without a word. As Sano caught his breath, the other man began to remove the weapons tucked within the secret pockets and folds of his black clothes. He nodded at Sano.</p><p>“Have there been any medicinal purchases lately?”</p><p>Yamazaki froze in the middle of tucking a knife with a serrated edge beneath his futon. He turned his attentive gaze around. “Not that I have requested. Why do you ask?”</p><p>Sanosuke cursed under his breath. Yamazaki, once the son of a country doctor, had become the Shinsengumi’s informal physician for immediate response to injuries or illness. As a result, he worked with the doctors they could find, frequently Dr. Matsumoto himself, to monitor patients and administer treatments within the compound. That he hadn’t known about any official requests for medicine was significant and damning.</p><p>“Harada?”</p><p>Sanosuke glanced up and realized Yamazaki had been waiting for a response. He hesitated. “Well, it might be a personal matter then. I shouldn’t say anymore than that.”</p><p>“If one of our own is hiding an injury, then it would be important information for the Shinsengumi,” replied Yamazaki, his voice calm. The steadfast gaze he fixed on Sanosuke told him he wouldn’t be leaving the room without some explanation.</p><p>As much as he valued Heisuke’s privacy, the privacy of any man in the compound, he felt a slight relief at being able to confide in Yamazaki, who may be able to guess from the herbal medicine what illness had grown upon their brother. “It’s a captain,” he hedged, clearing his throat.</p><p>“All the more reason.” Yamazaki gave him his full attention.</p><p>“It’s Heisuke,” he said finally, concern aching in the pit of his stomach as though it had been sometime since he had a meal.</p><p>“Ah.”</p><p>To Sanosuke’s astonishment, Yamazaki sighed and turned back to his night routine, piling his clothes neatly by the corner and dragging a washing bowl from a cupboard.</p><p>“Yamazaki, what are you - “ And then he realized what that must mean. “You know.”</p><p>Twin dark eyes, as inscrutable as the surface of a quiet pond, blinked at him.</p><p>“You know what’s going on with Heisuke,” he repeated, and relief came swift and sure. Had Hesiuke been suffering quietly and anonymously, there was little doubt in his mind that Yamazaki would have tracked down the swordsman that instant and cut to the root of the matter to ensure that he was being properly looked after.</p><p>That he had turned away with a bemused, almost weary air, told Sano that whatever it was, it couldn’t be that terrible. “Yamazaki, please tell me.”</p><p>“I know of Toudou’s trips to Dr. Matsumoto’s. They’re not related to any official directive from myself or the Commander.”</p><p>Interesting. Sanosuke considered that before asking, “So they are personal. Are the visits of a...medical nature?”</p><p>Yamazaki stood and began to herd him toward the door. “Beyond immediate treatment of a member of the Shinsengumi, I cannot disclose that information.”</p><p>“Yamazaki, wait,” he demanded, grabbing the side of the door firmly to keep the spy from shutting him out. “I just need to know if he’s--if he’s all right. That he’s not hurt or--or ill.”</p><p>There were few illnesses or injuries that could require so frequent a visit to the local doctor, especially for men in their profession. He had forced himself not to think of the possibilities, had known that giving in to such thoughts would spiral into more than simple concern for his brother - but the spectre of the notorious disease that had felled so many in the country of late had loomed in the back of his mind. Sanosuke needed to know.</p><p>Yamazaki’s apparent apathy softened. “It’s not near as grim as you’re assuming,” he said softly. “This particular illness will harm him no more than his usual propensity for trouble.”</p><p>The floor dropped from his stomach. “But he is ill.”</p><p>“Of a kind. Ask him yourself.” And with a swift movement, he pressed hard on a pressure point in Sanosuke’s thumb, forcing his fingers to release the door. Without another word, he slid the screen shut and, moments later, the candle in the room was snuffed out.</p><p>Rubbing his numb fingers, Sanosuke set off to meet Shinpachi with new determination.</p>
<hr/><p>“So? What brings two captains of the Shinsengumi to my clinic?”</p><p>Dr. Matsumoto sat down on the other side of the table, his weathered face lifted in a small smile. After a brief misunderstanding with the attendant at the door, who had blanched on first sight of their robes and weapons, they had been brought into a modest receiving room with a low table and several pillows. Shinpachi had promptly grabbed two and spread his legs out beneath the table, his arm braced on the hilt of his sword. Sanosuke sighed before folding himself as politely as possible with his spear against his shoulder.</p><p>“You both seem hale and hearty,” the doctor continued, even as his gaze swept over them with clinical precision. The sounds of steps brushed by, drawing him out of the inspection for a moment. “Ah, Chizuru, we have guests. Could you bring us a set of tea?”</p><p>A soft affirmation returned the request before the steps continued out of earshot. At Sanosuke’s raised brow, Dr. Matsumoto said, “I have an apprentice working with me at the moment. The daughter of a colleague.”</p><p>Sanosuke hummed in acknowledgement. It was rather unusual for a woman to receive an apprenticeship within the medical profession, for reasons that Sanosuke had balked at since that pivotal day in his youth, when he’d first learned the strength of a woman who knew her worth in the world and demanded respect. The ghost of Masano Timiko’s punch still occasionally haunted him while on visits to Shimabara.</p><p>“To be honest, Doctor,” began Sanosuke, attempting to tread lightly. “We were hoping to ask a few questions about medicinal herbs.”</p><p>From the bemused brow, he had not been expecting that. “Medicinal herbs? Is this a personal interest or for more practical purposes?”</p><p>“Well, Yamazaki has been a valuable medic for the Shinsengumi during times of emergency, but there’s only one of him, as quick as he is.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shinpachi nod a little too emphatically. Clearing his throat, he continued, “I had the thought that it would ease some of his burden if more of the captains had basic medical training on the battlefield.”</p><p>“Would you not then be more interested in sutures and tourniquets?” Dr. Matsumoto questioned, a furrow forming on his brow. “Decoctions of <em>gui zhi </em>are not going to staunch a severed artery.”</p><p>Sanosuke paused, momentarily unsure how to continue.</p><p>“If it’s between one of us sewing some poor bastard back together, they’ll probably choose death,” Shinpachi jumped in, rushed and audibly nervous. Sanosuke wished he was close enough to kick. “So, we were trying to think of other ways we could help.”</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>“Yeah. We heard there were some--uh, some plants that could reduce pain or swelling or--or other injuries.”</p><p>“Hmmm.”</p><p>For a long moment, Dr. Matsumoto watched them impassively across the table. Mild though his manner seemed, there was steel hidden within that gaze that had the hair on the back of Sanosuke’s neck standing on end. Shinpachi scratched the side of his neck and darted his eyes around the room, and it was a vivid reminder of why, when Shinpachi had last volunteered for espionage, Hijikata had actually roared with laughter.</p><p>“And so you have come to my clinic rather than consult Yamazaki, who has had significantly more experience providing medical remedies on the battlefield and who,” he continued, his expression growing sharper, “it would be considerably easier and more appropriate to ask?”</p><p>Sanosuke swallowed thickly.</p><p>He was almost certain they were about to get kicked out of the clinic. Judging by the way Shinpachi had carefully held his breath, Sano knew he must have realized it too. He could only imagine the Commander’s reaction to discovering that two of his trusted captains had pissed off the only doctor in the city that would treat the wounds of the Shinsengumi without icy contempt.</p><p>Sanosuke’s a second from opening his mouth and asking (begging) for the doctor’s forgiveness, when the door to the hall slides open and a voice soft and light as a summer night’s breeze interrupts the tension.</p><p>“I have your tea, Dr. Matsumoto.”</p><p>A young woman knelt by the open door, bowed slightly over a tray containing a white tea pot and four empty cups.</p><p>“Ah, Chizuru, thank you,” the doctor replied, breaking from the almost statue-like posture to smile and beckon her into the room. “Join us, please.”</p><p>The young woman, Chizuru, rose from her bow, and a second later their eyes met. She’s a sweet-looking one, with a bright smile that shone in her dark eyes, her long hair tied back into a silk ribbon. Rather than the fashionable colors and gloss of makeup worn by most women her age, she wore the modest and versatile yukata of a doctor’s assistant in muted tones of green and white.</p><p>As she moved to settle on the pillow by Dr. Matsumoto, Sanosuke can’t help but notice the careful, quiet way she held herself, as though she were entering a room where all the occupants were asleep. She bowed her head again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Yukimura Chizuru.”</p><p>To his right, Shinpachi had shot up from his slouch and folded his legs under him.</p><p>“Harada Sanosuke and Nagakura Shinpachi, of the Shinsengumi,” he said, nodding in his brother’s direction and returning the smile. “Thank you for the tea.”</p><p>“It’s my pleasure,” she replied easily, and Sanosuke’s surprised to realize she genuinely meant it. She set about pouring the tea and distributing the cups. “Shinsengumi, you said?”</p><p>“Oh yes,” interjected Dr. Matsumoto, gratefully taking the cup and drinking half in one gulp. Sanosuke thought that was bold of him before he noticed the temperature of the tea was just above a satisfying warmth. “I have not had a chance to introduce you yet. Chizuru, Harada and Sanosuke are two captains of the Shinsengumi, the samurai company in the eastern part of the city. I assist the company from time to time with regular physical assessments as well as the occasional emergency treatment.”</p><p>“I see.”</p><p>“Hey, we’re about due for one, aren’t we?” Shinpachi asked, as though this was a casual event for which he didn’t routinely ask Hijikata after the date whenever spring began to wane into the warm and humid grip of summer. “Wait until you see this, doctor. You won’t believe it, but I can lift twenty more stone than last season!”</p><p>He flexed his arms and shot a toothy grin across the table. Sanosuke sighed, mortified as Chizuru blushed slightly.</p><p>The doctor looked unimpressed. “You’re right; I don’t believe it. I suppose we will know in three weeks’ time.”</p><p>Ignoring the ongoing demonstration to his right, Sanosuke attempted to steer the conversation back toward the purpose behind their visit. “Doctor, about our earlier request...”</p><p>“Hm? Ah, yes, the medicinal herbs.” Dr. Matsumoto looked down his nose at him. “If you are interested in extended lessons, I’m afraid I will have to refuse you. As you can see, I am already dedicated to an apprenticeship.”</p><p>Chizuru darted a look between them curiously but didn’t interrupt.</p><p>Sanosuke thought quickly before he changed tact at top speed. “Then, could I ask you about specific herbs and what they could be used for?”</p><p>“You may,” he replied, though clearly hesitant.</p><p>“Ginseng, wolfberries, peony,” he said, watching their expressions carefully. “Something called licorice root.”</p><p>Dr. Matsumoto had little reaction. To his left, however, Chizuru had paused, her eyes wide. She glanced down into her tea, a faint dusting of pink rising in the tops of her cheeks.</p><p>Sano glanced at her, curiously.</p><p>“Common ingredients in a variety of medicines. The application and manipulation of the ingredient is what produces the medicinal decoction,” the doctor replied simply. “For those particular herbs, I can say that they are generally more favorable for treatments in association with the heart or lungs.”</p><p>“I see.” Sanosuke said, his stomach turning. “And have you made such a treatment recently?”</p><p>The moment after the question had left his mouth, he knew it had been too hasty.</p><p>Dr. Matsumoto’s expression grew stony. “Is that what you are truly after, then? Searching for information on one of your comrades?” When Sanosuke remained silent, he said, “I would never divulge that information but for immediate medical need.”</p><p>It was a bitter fact to swallow, but one they had been prepared for.</p><p>“I understand that, Dr. Matsumoto. Please know that we would not ask out of shallow curiosity.”</p><p>“And yet, you have sought a meeting with me pretending to offer such.”</p><p>Sanosuke winced. He had known they were pushing the boundary of respect, particularly for someone who had been a loyal friend to the company. Shame for the deceit pooled alongside the burning concern for his friend. “We should not have tried to pretend otherwise. I apologize, Dr. Matsumoto.” He bowed his head deeply.</p><p>“I will not give you details of another patient’s diagnosis or treatment,” he continued shortly, his tone one of remonstration. “A man has a right to himself and his secrets.”</p><p>Shinpachi spoke up with a loud, fiery voice, as though he couldn’t contain himself. “A warrior also has the right to know if the brother at his back has a hole in his chest! If a member of the Shinsengumi needs help, it’s our <em>duty </em>to support him!” He thumped his fist hard on his chest and met the man’s gaze head on. “Please, doctor! Help us support our brother!”</p><p>Another long moment passed as Dr. Matsumoto took the measure of their sincerity. Sanosuke had half a heart to feel slightly guilty for Chizuru, who seemed at a loss for what her role in this situation should be. Her fingers gripped the sleeves of her dress tightly, her eyes politely cast away.</p><p>Finally, the doctor let out a long, wearied sigh. “I have known you two for several years now. Long enough to know when your hearts are in the right place, even when your heads are up your asses,” he added in a growl. At Chizuru’s slight jump, he grimaced. “Sorry for the crude language, Chizuru.”</p><p>She shook her head and offered a small smile.</p><p>“At any rate, I still can’t divulge a patient’s medical record. There may be many a doctor in this world who would sell such information for the right price, but you will not find one in this clinic. I would slit my own throat first before I would abandon my honor and duty.”</p><p>The severity of the oath and his resolution further soured the mass of emotions in Sanosuke’s stomach.</p><p>“However, I can share this.” When Sanosuke and Shinpachi both shot up, hopeful, the doctor returned the look with fond exasperation. “I have not treated a member of the Shinsengumi in some time.”</p><p>Sanosuke’s jaw dropped. “Truly?”</p><p>“Yes. I had thought to check in over the season, but I assumed that the relative peace of the city and Yamazaki’s own competence were the reasons for the long period in between contact.”</p><p>He inspected the doctor’s expression closely. Despite clear proof that this couldn’t be the case, Sanosuke could tell that Dr. Matsumoto was telling the truth. “You haven’t treated any member of the Shinsengumi in the past month.”</p><p>“I have not.”</p><p>“Have you--have you seen one of us? At all?” Shinpachi added with disbelief.</p><p>“Not until you two fools stumbled onto my doorstep this morning,” he shot back wryly and dropped his head into his hand.</p><p>Chizuru glanced between the three of them, nervously twisting the hem of her sleeves, that faint blush still lingering on her cheeks. She poured another round of tea into the doctor’s cup with trembling hands.</p><p>“I see.” Confused, Sanosuke fought to reconcile what he had seen with his own eyes versus what he trusted was the truth before him. One look at Shinpachi told him it was a battle waged on two fronts.</p><p>“Now, if that has answered your true question, I must ask you to leave.” The doctor got to his feet and leveled a faintly amused look down at the swordsmen. “I do have actual patients to tend to.”</p><p>They bowed deeply, heads nearly to the floor. Sanosuke replied, his throat tight, “I appreciate your candor, doctor. I can only give my sincerest apologies that we did not do the same on our arrival.”</p><p>“As long as you understand,” he said simply. “I sympathize with what you are trying to do, if not the manner with which you went about it.”</p><p>They bowed again, and the nervous attendant showed them to the door.</p><p>On the street outside, Shinpachi let out a garbled groan. “Well, that was useless.”</p><p>Sanosuke both agreed and disagreed. On the one hand, they had confirmation that Heisuke was not receiving treatment from Dr. Matsumoto. On the other, they knew for a fact that he had been coming to the clinic regularly. Yamazaki had known too, though he had alluded to some kind of illness where the doctor himself had denied it.</p><p>“There’s nothing for it, I suppose,” Sanosuke admitted finally, sharing a commiserating look with his brother.</p><p>“We hold him down and punch him until he tells us what the hell’s going on,” conferred Shinpachi with a nod. He rubbed his knuckles into his fist. “He’s gonna regret not just spilling his guts from the start. I’ve gotta lot of pent up frustration from this.”</p><p>“I’ll remind him to grit his teeth,” Sanosuke added, half amused, half serious. “Don’t forget to pull the vitals, though. On the off chance that Heisuke does have some illness--”</p><p>“Heisuke has an illness?” A small voice piped up from behind, followed by a hand gripping the back of his uniform.</p><p>Sanosuke turned around.</p><p>The apprentice, Chizuru, stood there, a slight shake in her hand but a surprising glint of steely determination shining in her eyes. She looked quickly, impatiently, between them before asking again, her voice urgent, “A moment ago, did you say that Heisuke has an illness? What are his symptoms? Does he have a fever? Please, tell me.”</p><p>Sanosuke stared down at her, and just like that the answer fell into place.</p>
<hr/><p>Heisuke skidded out of the compound gates at a light job, taking a swig from his canteen and checking the weather. Light clouds reached to the horizon, dashes of the sky peeking through the misty shrouds, enough for a little shade from the summer sun. A good omen.</p><p>Grinning to himself, Heisuke turned down the familiar road adjacent to the market, where the herbalist shop could be found on a busy corner, squeezed between a cafe and the trading association headquarters.</p><p>By last night’s count, he had enough to buy a couple packets of ground <em>gui zhi </em>and ginger. He could also buy another pot of that rose tea from last week - Chizuru had thanked him for every tea he’d brought so far, but Heisuke could tell she’d like that one best. She’d finished her cup much quicker than usual, and he’d caught her a couple times holding the cup below her nose to breathe in the steam.</p><p>He’d nearly been late to patrol that day. The smile she’d given him on the porch of the clinic had been radiant, so heart-stoppingly sweet that a proposal had been on the tip of his fool tongue. He’d forced himself away only by the reminder that he was a captain of the Shinsengumi, and for every minute he was late, he’d spend a day until Souji’s punishing pre-battle training regimen for the lack of discipline.</p><p>Gods, but she was lovely. It might’ve been worth it. Heisuke had never met a girl quite like her before.</p><p>As he strode into the herbalist and rattled off his order, he wondered what she would be working on that day. Would she be mixing medicines in the courtyard? He hoped so. It was much easier to duck under the porch and out of sight when the doctor strode down the hall with a patient. Then she’d help brush the dirt off his hands and clothes, giggling in that way that sent fireworks through Heisuke’s chest.</p><p>“Here, sir.” The herbalist shoved his parcel into his hands and watched him leave with an uncomfortable expression of relief.</p><p>Heisuke frowned. He hadn’t been rude to her, or so he thought. He glanced back at the door, confused at the brusk manner she’d shoved him out, before he shrugged it off. Perhaps she had heard he was with the Shinsengumi. That was often enough to cause normal citizens to be wary. Or she could just be having a bad day.</p><p>With that thought shoved to the back of his mind, he trotted off down the street, down the curving alleys that he knew by heart, until he reached the clinic at the end of the road, with its carefully maintained front and the cheery green sign. To his surprise, a familiar figure was already outside the door, her gaze cast down the opposite side of the street. His heart leapt.</p><p>“Chizuru!” He called, adding a burst of speed into his step.</p><p>She turned and caught sight of him, running down the street with his hand in the air. Seconds later, he slowed to a stop a couple feet away, enough that he wouldn’t accidentally kick dust onto her yukata. She was dressed in her usual green yukata, her hair swept into a familiar yellow ribbon.</p><p>“That ribbon,” he blurted out before he could stop himself, flushing. He had bought the ribbon for her only the other day, convinced that it would look nice on her while still considered professional for her work.</p><p>“Good morning, Heisuke,” she said after a moment, her hand loosely circled around the end of her hair. Chizuru shifted slightly, before asking quietly, “How does it look?”</p><p>“Perfect,” he replied instantly, both earnestly and embarrassingly. It typically took him a solid half hour to get ahold of his mouth in her company. As much as he tried to show her the most manly parts of himself - his swordsmanship, his training, his muscles - Heisuke still found himself acting like a teenager around her. He forced down the excitement in his chest and smiled. “You look lovely, Chizuru.”</p><p>Her cheeks turned bright pink. “Thank you, again,” she said, “for the ribbon. I’ll treasure it.”</p><p><em>She’ll treasure it. The ribbon</em>.</p><p>“Um, Heisuke, there’s actually something I need to talk with you about.”</p><p><em>The ribbon he gave her. She likes it. She said she’ll treasure it</em>. Heisuke maybe thought he’d died for a second. That intense a dose of adoration would probably kill a normal man.</p><p>“Yesterday, there were a couple visitors at the clinic, from the Shinsengumi.”</p><p>“What?” The name of his company stuck even amidst the bubbling currently filling his chest like a gallon of sake. “What’d you say? Shinsengumi?”</p><p>Chizuru hesitated, her fingers twisting the end of the yellow ribbon nervously. The ribbon he gave her, the one she promised to <em>treasure</em>. Heisuke fought the impulse to step into an alley and just cry for a moment.</p><p>“Yes, they came to the clinic to speak with Dr. Matsumoto. I think their names were - “</p><p>A shadow suddenly fell over the both of them. A heavy arm fell across his shoulders, a familiar but terrible weight that threatened to sink him into the ground. The smell of sweat, sake, and steel filled his nose rather than lovely rose petals and green tea.</p><p>Chizuru froze, her eyes wide.</p><p>“Well, well, well.”</p><p>“Oh, what’s this? Sano, do my eyes deceive me? Isn’t this our very own little brother, having a conversation with a woman?”</p><p>
  <em>Oh, gods, no, no.</em>
</p><p>Heisuke could almost feel his soul perform a full-body wince before slipping out from the top of his head and into the sky, likely eager to vanish amongst the misty clouds and leave this mortal coil behind. He closed his eyes and just imagined the moment even seconds before, where he and Chizuru had been alone, just talking in the early morning light, without meddling older brothers to smirk over his shoulders and tease him by telling her mortifying tales of his past adventures.</p><p>“Can’t be,” Sano replied smoothly, “Heisuke never said anything about meeting a lovely young woman with whom to have conversations, drink tea, buy suspicious quantities of medicine for. He wouldn’t hide that from his brothers, would he?” His arm wrapped around the other side of Heisuke’s neck and tightened. “Morning, Chizuru.”</p><p>She bowed quickly and repeated the greeting. “Good morning, Harada-san, Nagakura-san.”</p><p>“You two—“ he growled, breathless from the twin headlocks on either side, glaring at them from under the fringe of his hair. “When did you—“</p><p>“You know, Heisuke, when you start skipping dinner and evenings out, only to visit a clinic three times a week, your friends tend to get concerned about it,” Sano replied softly, smiling with only a little venom between his teeth.</p><p>Heisuke caught the genuine concern beneath the wry comment and tried to defend himself, “I didn’t meant for you to—“ But Shinpachi tightened his grip with a toothy grin.</p><p>“Nothing a little groveling can’t fix, Heisuke,” he said, cheerfuly strangling him. “Yeah? Whaddaya say we hit up Shimabara tonight, hmm? Make up for all those missed opportunities? On you, of course.”</p><p>Heisuke spluttered, his gaze immediately searching for Chizuru. “Wait a damn min—“</p><p>He can only just see the top of her head around Sano’s shoulder, can only just hear the smooth, velvet tones of his other brother gently asking about her day, complimenting the lovely ribbon in her hair, shepherding her further away from the argument occurring in the street,  coaxing her back and saying, <em>oh, they’re just catching up, that’s nothing for her to worry about</em>—</p><p><em>The worst</em>, he screamed in his head. <em>They’re the worst.</em></p><p>Heisuke grabbed Shinpachi’s arms, braced his knees, and flipped the other man over his head with a battle cry. As his back slammed into the ground, he gasped as the wind was knocked out of him.</p><p>Heisuke darted around Sano and planted a foot squarely in his stomach, feeling savagely pleased at the wheeze that followed.</p><p>“Ah, Heisuke—“ Chizuru started to say, alarmed, before gasping as he grabbed her hand and began running down the street.</p><p>“Sorry, Chizuru! This way!” He knew a couple shortcuts that would buy them some time, but between Shinpachi’s time in downtown and Sano’s drowsy walks around the village, there would be few places to hide for long. Still, if he could catch even an hour of her time—</p><p>Heisuke glanced over his shoulder.</p><p>Chizuru was staring down at their clasped hands, her lips slightly parted. A blush (<em>from embarrassment? From Sano’s flirtation? Their quick escape?</em>) had spread over her face. When she looked up and realized she’d been caught, her grip noticeably tightened.</p><p>Heisuke grinned.</p><p> </p>
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